Western shovelnose ray

3/20/2017

Western Shovelnose Ray, Aptychotrema vincentiana. Source: Rudie H. Kuiter / Aquatic Photographics.

The western shovelnose ray (Aptychotrema vincentiana) is a yellowish brown coloured ray with dark blotches that adorn its dorsal side. Their tail is even darker than their body, matching the dusky black coloured bands around its eyes. These rays have a pale underbelly, and younger individuals usually have a blackened snout that pales as it ages.

They reach about 84 cm in length, and males mature at about 65 cm. Female maturity size is unknown. These rays are found off southern and western Australia up to depths of 125 m deep; here, they eat decapod crustaceans and teleost fish. Reproduction methods are also unknown. IUCN has assessed the western shovelnose ray as Least Concern (LC).

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glossary

Crustaceans: Group of animals with a hard exoskeleton, jointed legs and segmented body.
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Teleost: Bony fishes.

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TFUI Founder Melissa C. Marquez is author of all animal bios and "Behind the Fins" segments.

A proud #LatinainSTEM, Marquez is a marine biologist who focuses on shark habitat use and movements; she is also a science communicator (follow her on Twitter) who focuses on diverse Chondrichthyan education and who focuses on the media coverage of sharks. You can learn more about her on her website.

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